Chemical Composition of Antistatic Agents

The selection of an antistatic agent for a given polymer is based on its chemical composition. Accordingly, antistatic agents can be divided in many groups, as presented below. 

Most polymers are very good electrical insulating materials because of their chemical composition, i.e., their electrical conductivity is exceptionally low. Because of this important property, many plastics are used to produce electrically nonconductive parts. However, the high surface resistance leads to an unwanted property the material is prone to electrostatic charge accumulation. To facilitate dissipation of the charge, antistatic agents are incorporated, which combine with atmospheric moisture on the plastic surface to form a conductive film. 

The selection of an antistatic agent depends greatly on the polymer matrix since a degree of incompatibility is vital to ensure that migration to the surface of the product occurs at a fast rate after manufacture. Exact chemical composition information can be difficult to obtain from suppliers and so analysis for these additives can be difficult. 

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